The couple crouched at the edge of the treeline, looking across towards the camp.  The piece of open ground that separated the two of them from the closest tent was not much in terms of distance, but it may as well have been miles.  It was completely exposed, and getting back into the camp was going to be much more difficult than sneaking out.

Weisheng had toyed with the idea of simply walking straight up to the guards on duty, banking on his identity to avoid being questioned, but this would be extremely awkward for both of them, especially Ming Yue.

Suddenly, the young woman leaned over to him, putting her mouth close to his ear, which immediately started to burn with his awareness of the close contact.  Luckily, she didn't appear to notice his discomfort.

"I have an idea," she whispered, and pointed up at the tree that was currently providing them with shelter. 

 Weisheng looked up. It was certainly sturdy enough, and the branches would have been long enough to extend well out over the narrow stretch of open plain if they had been reaching out in the right direction.  He frowned, and Ming Yue saw the doubt written across his face.

"Trust me," she whispered, and he nodded in response. 

 She reached out, placed her palm flat against the gnarled trunk, and closed her eyes, furrowing her brow in concentration.

For a short while, nothing happened. Then, very slowly, he saw one of the large branches above them start to move.

Luckily, the wind had picked up considerably in the last hour or so, so the sounds of rustling leaves and creaking wood were already circulating around the night.  Also, the branch was moving so slowly as to attract little attention in the darkness, and it blended in with the rest of the forest against the backdrop of the night sky in a way that the two human figures simply would not have done.

Eventually, the branch came to a stop, now reaching over the corridor of open ground until its tip was just a few metres short of the edge of camp.  Ming Yue started to climb up until she was stood on the widest part of the branch, with her back against the trunk.  She moved forward slightly, to allow Weisheng to slot in behind her and, when she felt his presence, she began to edge forward.

Luckily, they were concealed for most of the way by other smaller branches and leaves.  However, the foliage was much more sparse as they went on and, the last couple of metres of the makeshift bridge were bare.  Ming Yue decided they would have to run for it and glanced back at Weisheng to communicate the thought.  Luckily, the same thing had also occurred to him, and he nodded at her.  He looked to the left and right, noting the position of the guards.

Spotting an opening, he tapped Ming Yue twice on the shoulder and, immediately understanding his meaning, she sprinted forward, with Weisheng hot on her heels.  They both leapt from the end of the branch and, using their qinggong, descended the not inconsiderable height to the ground below, coming to rest lightly on the ground in the shadow of one of the larger perimeter tents.

Ming Yue dusted a stray leaf from her dress and smiled up at Weisheng, before turning towards their unlikely night-time accomplice and closing her eyes to send a message of thanks.  After a brief moment, she opened them again, and the two slipped out into the camp, each heading in the direction of their own tents, no further words between them being necessary.

***

The rest of the journey to the agreed meeting place was uneventful.  Weisheng and Ming Yue had not managed to steal any more time to be alone together but, having cleared the existing misunderstanding between them, they were not too disheartened by the fact.

As it was, they were now each engaged in their own tasks, as the temporary venue for the summit gradually took shape amid a flurry of activity in the fading afternoon sun.

The Han delegation having set out early to prepare, it would be another day before the Jin representatives arrived.  Ming Yue was trying to contain her excitement at seeing her brother again.  She assumed that her father, possessing little willpower where his children were concerned, had by now revealed her whereabouts to the three princes, and she was determined to find some time to properly catch up with Wang Wei, however risky it would be.

Putting aside her personal wishes, as the sun fell and she surveyed the final, makeshift summit venue, she could not help but give a small smile of satisfaction.

It could not be said to be decadent, but it was comfortable and welcoming, and she was confident that it would build an atmosphere of companionship on both sides.  Ming Yue knew that her family were all of the same view when it came to public displays of wealth or excess.  They were generally of little use and effect, often alienating instead of uniting.  True power, held with humility in the knowledge that it was at the grace of others, did not need such baubles or gold-plating to be convincing.

Ending her flurry of thoughts on that note, she gave a nod of approval directed at no one in particular, then turned to head towards her tent which was, once again, a small structure located not far from the prince's own, more impressive one, but not before she cast a glance to the east, looking at the rolling hills of her own country for the first time in months.

Meanwhile, Zhao Weisheng and Luo Jian were discussing security measures for the summit.

"At first," said the prince, "I was surprised that we didn't meet another assassination attempt on our way here.  Then I gave it more thought.  If my suspicion that someone wants to get rid of me to destabilise the peace between Han and Jin is correct, the best time to launch an attack would be during the summit itself and put the blame on Jin."

Luo Jian grunted in agreement.

"This would indeed confirm your suspicions," he said. "But it also means we must be even more vigilant over the next few days."

Weisheng nodded slowly.

"It would be best," he began, "if you did not make our defences too impenetrable.  If our enemies do make a move, this could give us an opportunity to expose them.  We will learn nothing if they decide that security is too tight to even make an attempt."

"What about the safety of the Jin delegation?" Luo Jian queried.  Weisheng thought for a moment.

"I'm not worried about that," he concluded.  "Whoever is behind this wants to influence Han's actions towards Jin, not the other way around.  Making a move against Jin directly would take events out of their control and put them at the mercy of Jin's response.   They would not risk it."  Another thought then occurred to him.

"In the meantime, I will speak to Minister Shen and find out how his investigation is coming along."

At this, Luo Jian raised an eyebrow in warning, and Weisheng acknowledged his concern.

"I know," he said.  "But Minister Shen is one of my father's oldest friend, and he has always been loyal to the throne, sometimes at great risk to himself.  I cannot believe for one moment that he would betray us."

Leaving the tent, the two men turned their attention to inspecting the accommodation that had been allocated to the Jin dignitaries.

***

Back in the Han capital, in a remote corner of the palace, two senior ministers met in secret.  It was fortunate, they concluded, that they had managed to persuade the king to include one of the trio in the Han delegation, giving them a reliable pair of eyes on events as they unfolded.

In fact, a messenger had just returned from the prince's convoy, confirming that matters were proceeding as anticipated, and the plan would come to fruition on the second night of the three night gathering.  True to form, the three men had been careful to ensure that what transpired could not be traced back to them.

In just a few days' time, the relationship between Han and Jin, and the power of the Han royal family, would be damaged to such a degree that Han would be left vulnerable for the three of them to use its resources for their own advantage, and increase their influence to the extent that they, in fact, were the real power behind the throne.

***

The following morning dawned, clear and bright, and the camp became flooded with activity as it prepared for the arrival of the Jin delegation.

Zhao Weisheng was currently in his tent going through the final plan for the day with the three senior ministers, whose attitudes could not be more different.

Minister Shen was by now an old hand at diplomacy.  He listened carefully to the prince, offering the occasional suggestion in a calm and unruffled manner.

Minister Deng's face seemed permanently set in a disapproving frown.  It was no secret that he had opposed the summit, arguing that it posed too great a risk to the prince's safety.  Even now, his eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings, as if searching for an imaginary threat.

Minister Xie, on the other hand, was bouncing up and down on his heels like an excited child.  This was his first major political negotiation with an outside kingdom, and he was keen to add to his experience.

As he finished speaking, Weisheng eyed the three men cautiously, wondering which, if any of them, was connected to the attempt on his life.  He had already expressed to Luo Jian his confidence in Minister Shen but, without absolute proof of his innocence, Weisheng would be foolish to disregard him completely.

As for the other two, they would not have been his first choices to accompany him to the summit if the deciding factor was personality only, but it made sense for the ministers in charge of Public Works and Revenue to be present if they were going to discuss opening trade routes and increasing the amount of travel between the two kingdoms.  One of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Public Works was transportation infrastructure, and the finance knowledge of Minister Deng would be useful when considering the economic impact of any deal they were able to reach.

Weisheng glanced to his right, where Ming Yue was sitting quietly in the corner of his tent, reviewing the list of gifts they had brought to present to the Jin delegation.  He regretted that they had spent little time together over the last couple of days, but due to the constant flow of people coming in and out of the prince's tent, it had simply not been possible.

His attention snapped back to the three men in front of him when Minister Deng asked yet another question about the heightened security measures.

"Don't worry, Minister Deng," he reassured the older man.  "It may not look like it, but there are a large number of royal guards constantly on watch within the camp.  I have just requested that they keep a relatively low profile.  I wouldn't want the Jin delegation to see such heavy security and think that we don't trust them."

In truth, that idea had been Ming Yue's, and it was a good one.  Consequently, Luo Jian's most trusted men were currently blending in with the other residents of the camp, dressed as eunuchs or servants.  However, Luo Jian kept to his usual place at the prince's side at all times.

Before Minister Deng had a chance to respond, Eunuch Wang appeared.

"The Jin delegation is approaching, Your Highness."

Weisheng nodded in acknowledgement and glanced around at the others.

"Well, gentlemen," he said.  "Let's go and build some bridges."

The four men exited the tent, heading towards the camp entrance, with Luo Jian, Eunuch Wang, and Ming Yue falling into step behind them at a respectful distance.

As the Jin delegation approached, Ming Yue craned her neck, and could clearly see her oldest brother, Prince Wang Wei, at the head of the column of travellers on horseback.  However, to her great surprise, she also saw the slightly smaller figure of her youngest brother, Prince Zhixing, to Wang Wei's left, and it was all she could do to suppress a delighted grin from spreading across her features.

In keeping with etiquette, the two Jin princes and their companions dismounted a little way from the waiting Han representatives and walked the last few steps towards their hosts, their faces fixed in a solemn, but not unfriendly, expression.

Weisheng kept his gaze firmly fixed on the two handsome young men approaching, as if he could gauge their intentions from appearance alone.  He saw the two men's gazes shift simultaneously to his left as they observed his party and, suddenly, both of their eyes opened wide in utter shock and they almost came to a complete stop, catching themselves only just in time before the unintentional blunder.

Weisheng snapped his head around quickly, instantly intent on finding out who or what had caused such a reaction from both men.  To his absolute amazement, the one person in their direct line of sight was the woman he loved.

As for Ming Yue, as soon as she witnessed the expressions on her brothers' faces change when they saw her, she came to the sudden and dreadful realisation that they had absolutely no idea that she had been in Han kingdom all this time, let alone as part of the Han palace staff.  Shifting her eyes to the right, she saw that Weisheng's sharp gaze had missed none of what had just transpired.  She gulped.  This was very bad indeed.